Electric tube-lamp.



PATENTED MAR. 22, 1904- 11. MOP. MOORE. ELECTRIC TUBE LAMP.

APPLICATION FILED 1TB.- 6. 1903. NO IODEL.

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UNITED STATES Patented March 22, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE."

ELECTRIC TUBE-LAMP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 755,307, dated March22, 1904.

Application filed February 6, 1903. Serial No. 142,131. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DANIEL MOFARLAN MOORE, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of Newark, in the county of Essex and State ofNew Jersey, have invented cer tain new and useful Improvements inElectric Tube-Lamps, of which the following is a speci fication.

' My invention relates to those systems of electric lighting employinglamps'which consist, essentially, of a tube or receptacle containing anysuitable gasas, for instance, air rarefied or having any desired degreeof gaseous tension suitable for the gas employed and proper energytransferring electrodes, by means of which electric energy may beapplied to the gaseous body or column to render the same luminous.

The special object of my invention is to permit the employment ofportable lamps of the above general type and at the same time to enablethe same to be operated by electric energy of the desired high tensionwithout danger to persons or objects To these ends my inventionconsists, substantially, in a combination of the general character abovedescribed, comprising a potential-raising transformer, together with asuitable protective inclosure, all combined, as hereinafter described,so that the high-poten tial terminals of said transformer and the energytransferring terminals of said trans former and the energy-transferringterminals of the tube shall be inclosed in a suitable pro tectiveinclosure'or casing. out of danger of contact with external objects,while from said casing projects, respectively, the conductors whichcarry the low-tension energy to the primary of the transformer and thetranslucent but harmless portions of the tube supported by its ends andwhose gaseous contents are rendered luminous by the high-potential energy from said transformer.

In carrying out my invention I prefer to use a tube the body or mainportion of which is .curved in any suitable way, so as to decrease thespace occupied by the lamp, while the ends of said tube are broughtclosely together or sufiiciently to permit the tube to be susondary ofthe transformer.

tained by said ends with their conducting or energy-transferringterminals joined to the incased high-potential terminals of the see- Forsuch terminals I may employ either an exterior cap, sleeve, or envelopof pretty good size, dependent, however, as to size in a large meastothe lamp, or I may use internal electrodes suitably connected with thesecondary terminals of the transformer by leading-in wires for the lamp,said internal electrodes being of proper size or construction or havingthe leading-in wires and connections properly pro tected against theeffect of the discharge which tends to seek said leading-in wire, thuspermitting in the case of such internal elecure upon the potential ofthe energy applied trode the use of energy of high tension andconsiderable quantity. y

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical central section ofan apparatus embodying my. invention. Fig. 2 is a plan of the same, thegeneral shape or conformation of the luminous portion of the tube beingindicated in dotted lines. Fig. 3 illustrates in section a form ofelectrode that may be used when the tube is provided with internalelectrodes.

The tube shown is of the form which may be described generally ascurved, or as a tube of a form which returns upon itself, so as to bringthe ends thereof into proximity to one another. The body of the tube, orthat which contains the gas furnishing the effective illuminatingportion of the lamp, is indicated at 2, and starting from one of theends of said tube is of a form which curves outwardly from said end andback through the space between saidend and the opposite end and thenv bya reverse curve around to said opposite end. It will be understood,however, that the curved portion of the tube between said ends maybegreatly varied and said curve might be a continuous spiral. Preferablythe curved portion lies practically in one general plane, while the ends3 of said tube project in a direction which may be described generallyas transverse to the plane in which the major or illuminating portion ofthe tube is located. Said ends 3 are mounted and supported within thecasing 4 in any desired way. The metallic terminals of said tube when itis in place are located entirely within the suitable protective cabinetor casing 4 and are in connection with the secondary terminals of atransformer of any desired character, which secondary terminals are alsowithin said casing. The primary of said transformer (indicated at 26)has its terminals of comparatively low potential led out through saidcasing and connected with suitable supply-wires. The secondary of thetransformer is indicated by the numeral 27 and the transformer isproperly supported by the frame or hanger 31 or in any other suitableway. In the present instance I have shown energytransferring terminalsfor the tube, comprising conducting caps or sleeves applied to theexterior of the glass inclosure and consistin'g, if desired, of graphiteapplied as a paste and allowed to harden. Said coating is also providedwith a suitable ring or sleeve of conducting material, to which thesupply-wire is properly connected.

Other forms or kind of exterior electrode might be used asenergy-transferring terminals or the electrodes might be internalelectrodes. Also said electrodes might be of proper character to operateeach as a positive or negative electrode, so as to adapt the lamp foruse with alternating currents, or said electrodes might be soconstructed as to permit the use of the lamp with continuous currentsonly, in which case, however, the transformer should be of suchcharacter as to deliver a continuous current from its secondary. I

The parts which-support the tube are shown in the drawings as consistingof suitable clamps or yokes 29, carried by brackets 30, which aresecured to the frame 31.

The vertical portions of the tube, or, in other words, the ends thereof,are received in the clamps 29, and the tube is supported thereby as awhole and in proper position beneath a shade or reflector 32, whichlatter may, however, be used or not, as desired.

The casing which incloses the tube-terminals and transformer may havehinged doors or sides adapted to open back, as shown by the dottedlines, Fig. 2, to give access for the purpose of removing the tube fromthe fixture or for the purpose of permitting the connections to be madereadily with the terminals of the secondary. As will be obvious,however, to electricians, the apparatus may be otherwise constructed andso formed that the connection will be automatically established byinsertion gfthe ends of the tube into the danger-proof By the use of myinvention it will be obvious that the energy required for producinglight in the tube may be supplied thereto without danger to persons orobjects and that the tube,

transformer, and other associated parts combined as described constituteas a whole a lamp that may be used and handled as a portable lamp havingall the practical characteristics of an arc-lamp of the usual type.

Instead of using a tube with exterior electrodes I may use one havinginterior electrodes, which should, however, be-preferably of propercharacter to permit the lamp to be used with alternating currents. Sucha form is shown in Fig. 3, wherein leading-in wire 40 is shownprojecting into the tube through a suitable glass stem and asterminating in a block or piece of metal 13, around which and inimmediate union or contact with it is a mass 21, of lime or other oxid,such as oxid of magnesium ora mixture of such an oxid. In the mass 21 isa narrow or constricted opening, as shown, which receives the dischargewhen the electrode is at any instant the negative electrode of the tubeand the walls of which opening become highly heated. 22 is a jacket ofsoft lime, which protects the base of the stem or leading-in Wire fromelectric discharge. The mass 21 is incased in a tube 24, of metal, whichreinforces the same and which also serves for the attachment of cups ortubes 11, which constitute the positive portion of the electrodeoperating as the positive electrode in conjunctionwith thenegativeelectrode at the opposite end of the tube, consisting of thesimilar mass of lime 21.

It will be understood that the part 21 of the electrode is constructedwith special reference to the use of said electrode as the negative andthe part 11 with special reference to the use of the electrode as apositive electrode, so that, in effect, each end of the tube would havea composite electrode adapting said electrode to be either a positive ora negative, andthereby permitting the lamp to be readily operated byalternating currents.

What I claim as my invention is 1. A portable electric-lighting devicecom prising a transformer, an inclosure,a tube containing a gas adaptedto be rendered luminous and means supported by the portable structurecarrying the transformer for supporting the tube, said transformer andthe tube-terminals being inclosed while the portion of the tube used forlighting extends through the walls of the inclosure.

2. In an improved electric-lighting system employing a gas adapted to berendered luminous by electric energy, the combination substantially asdescribed of a tube of glass containing said gas or gases and returningupon itself to bring its ends into proximity, a transformer, and asuitable box to inclose the same as well as the tube-terminals and tubeends which support the tube.

3. A portable electric-lighting device comprising a transformer, atranslucent tube containing a gas adapted tobe rendered luminous by thecurrent from said transformer, a holder York and State of New York, this16th day of far su porting said tube and tralsforhrner with January, A.D. 1903. t e en s 0 the tube connecte to t e transformer and aninclosure for the transformer DANIEL MOFARLAN MOORE 5 and ends of saidtube, as and for the purpose Witnesses:

described. J. GALLWITZ,

Signed at New York, in the county of New E. L. LAW'LER.

